Always There
by angelraine
Summary: Tohru failed her exams, causing her to have special projects. She doesn't tell anyone about it until Yuki noticed her changes. What do you think will happen? What does Kyou have to say about it? YukiTohruKyou
1. A Helping Hand

Always There

(Standard Disclaimer Apply.)

Life can't always be fun. Pleasure has its place, but so does everything else. Tohru found pleasure in helping out the Souma boys in Shigure Souma's house. She always felt happy with the Soumas but there was one time when she felt depressed inside the house and it's because of…

"Honda Tohru, please proceed to the faculty." The speaker box announced. "Honda Tohru, please proceed to the faculty."

Tohru was spending time with her friends, Uo and Hana inside their classroom. It was almost the beginning of the summer vacation. Hana was going overseas with her famil so she wanted to spend as much time with Tohru as possible. Uo, however, had to get a full-time job to save up for college so she won't be able to spend a lot of time with Tohru either.

When Tohru heard the announcement, she remarked, "I paid my tuition before the exams. I completed all my requirements. I wonder what's wrong…"

Uo assured Tohru, "I'm sure it's not bad news. After all, summer's almost here so…"

"I feel some bad waves coming from the faculty." Hana said, "Be careful, Tohru."

Tohru smiled, "I will. Please, excuse me." She stood up and exited the room. She walked towards the faculty. When she got there, she inhaled deeply before knocking.

"Come in." Her teachers said.

Tohru opened the door. "Sensei," She asked, "I was called to come here. Is there a problem?"

Her teacher nodded. "I'm afraid there is, Miss Honda." She motioned her to come nearer. Tohru obliged and stood beside her teacher. "I guess you have to see this." She showed her the grading list. Most of the letters present were C's and D's. There were two B's but still; most of her grades had descended.

"Oh, no." Tohru exclaimed. "How did this happen?"

"I believe that your final exams are rather low." Her teacher sympathized, "I'm so sorry, Miss Honda but you have to make special projects for each subject." She handed Tohru a folder. "This contains all the instructions for the special projects in every subject you got a low score in. I suggest that you begin at once since those are required the day before the summer vacation starts."

"Thank you, Sensei." She bowed and smiled. "I shall start immediately. If you may excuse me…"

"Go ahead." Her teacher dismissed Tohru. As Tohru closed the door, she sighed and walked away. She browsed at the instructions. "Gosh… This is going to cost me a lot. But I can always improvise…" She read the instructions of the special project in History when she bumped into Hana.

"Tohru!" Hana exclaimed, "We were starting to get worried so I decided to go to the faculty to check up on you."

Tohru smiled. "I'm okay. I was heading back to the classroom before I bumped into you."

Hana nodded. "I see. Let's go and join Uo. She must be bored by now." But she didn't take a step. She stared at Tohru's folder. "What is that?" She pointed at the folder.

"This?" Tohru looked at the folder. She groaned inside her head. 'If I tell Uo and Hana about my grades, they're going to worry. I better think of something to say…' She smiled at her friend. "This is just a small project I made. I asked Sensei to give it back to me once she finished checking it."

Hana smiled. "Oh, I see. Let's go back now." Tohru and Hana started to go back to their classroom.

When they got back to their classroom, they saw Yuki and Uo talking. Both people looked like they were in deep conversation. Hana and Tohru approached them in a discreet manner that the two people didn't notice them coming until…

"What are you guys talking about?" Hana suddenly asked them.

Uo was surprised and said, "Hana! Don't surprise people like that. You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry." Hana replied. "I just wanna interrupt our deep conversation."

"Oh." That was Yuki's reaction. Yuki observed Tohru. 'Something's different about her…."

Tohru was smiling. But her current smile was different from her usual, cheerful smile. Uo and Hana were still arguing about what happened earlier

Yuki asked Tohru, "Is something wrong? You seemed different today."

Tohru looked at Yuki and smiled, "I'm okay. Nothing's wrong with me."

"Are you sure?" Yuki was concerned about Tohru. For some reason, Tohru made him into a better person and he loved her for that. As a member of the zodiac, he can't just tell her how he felt. If he did, their relationship could end up like what happened to Hatori and Kana.

Tohru nodded. "Positive."

Yuki glanced at his watch. "Oh, Tohru, I almost forgot to mention. I won't go home with you today. I have a meeting. Is that okay with you?"

Tohru nodded. "It's okay. I don't have to go to work today so expect a great dinner later."

"I'll look forward to it." He walked away and waved bye to Tohru who waved back as Yuki closed the door.

Uo and Hana stopped arguing. "So, what were you talking about with the prince?" Hana asked Uo.

Uo answered, "He can't find Tohru so he asked me to tell Tohru that he can't come home with her because of a meeting."

Hana looked at her friend slyly. "Is that all?"

Uo nodded. "Yeah."

Tohru smiled. "I guess I'll be walking with Kyou today."

Kyou came barging inside the classroom. He looked very angry. He sat on his table and muttered, "Damn Cow."

Tohru walked toward Kyou and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Yes!" He shouted at Tohru but then, he calmed down a little. "I had to go with him because he promised some girl that she could date me if she helps him with his homework."

"That's nice of you." Tohru remarked.

"IT IS NOT NICE! I DON'T LIKE THE GIRL!" Kyou screamed at her again. Everybody was looking at them.

Uo grabbed Kyou by his collar and asked, "Don't vent your anger at her!"

Kyou snarled at her. "Want to fight, Yankee?"

"Bring it on!" Uo challenged him into a fist fight but she was able to avoid Kyou's punches.

Tohru was trying to stop the commotion between her friends. "Uo, I'm okay. I'm okay. Please stop!"

Uo was about to hit Kyou but she let go of Kyou's collar and remarked, "You better thank Tohru for stopping me."

Kyou didn't say anything and stormed outside. He slammed the door shut and everybody could hear him rant and rave outside.

Tohru went separate ways with her friends a few hours later. She walked on the usual path to Shigure's place and for the first time in the day, she sighed. "What am I going to do? Those special projects are going to cost a lot and I needed to save up for the next year and college." Then, she groaned. "Why am I so stupid?" She continued to walk home.

She opened the door and she noticed no one greeted her. "Shigure must have gone to the Main House today."

She went into the kitchen and started to make dinner for Yuki and Kyou. "Hmm… I guess chicken teriyaki and miso soup would do tonight."

She took out a few cups of rice and placed it inside the rice cooker. While the rice was cooking, she made the chicken teriyaki and miso soup.

When she was almost finished cooking, she heard someone open the door. "Yuki?"

"I'm home." Yuki went inside the kitchen. "I smell chicken teriyaki and miso soup…"

Tohru smiled. "Yes. That is exactly what we are having tonight." She continued smiling and started stirring the miso soup.

Yuki didn't make any reply and stared at Tohru. Out of the blue, he wrapped his arms around her but there was 7 inches distance between his body and her body.

"Yuki…" Tohru said softly, "Why are you…"

"If you're in trouble, remember that you can always ask help from me. I'm always here for you." Yuki whispered in her ear. "I'll help you like you helped me."

"Yuki, I can't ask that from you." Tohru said, "You already have given me enough help already."

"I want to help you more because I lo–" Yuki's sentence was cut off when Shigure came in and said, "I'M BACK!"

Tohru was startled which made jump. She bumped into Yuki which made him transform into a mouse.

Kyou came in to see such a funny sight. Tohru ended up sitting on the mouse. Shigure laughed out loud. He was even chanting, "Tohru's sitting on a mouse. Tohru's sitting on a mouse…."

Kyou didn't find the sight funny though. He didn't even make a remark at all since he was there before Shigure did. He heard everything. He felt so stupid not to notice that Tohru had a problem. He felt like a loser because he wasn't the first person to comfort her. He felt like he lost to Yuki because he was brave enough to hug her and "almost" say the things Kyou wants to say to her.

Kyou walked away and went to the roof. He sighed as he stared at the stars. "I guess there is really a point in your life when you realize who really matters and who always will no matter what happens." He closed his eyes. "And in my life, that point is now and the person who really matters to me is her…"

After eating dinner and taking a nice hot bath individually, Tohru and Yuki decided to work on one of the special projects that night. It was for her History project. Yuki read the instructions:

History Special Project

Research: The Russian Revolution in 1917.

Research Paper Must Contain:

Prominent people

Important dates

It should be in paragraph form and must be submitted before summer vacation.

"That seemed easy enough." Yuki looked at Tohru. "I have a book on Russian History. Maybe you could use that."

"Thank you, Yuki." Tohru remarked. "I really owe you this time."

They started working on Torhu's research paper. After an hour, they were done with the report. They don't have classes tomorrow so they decided to work on the other projects for the rest of the night.

Once in a while, Shigure would take a peek on the door. He was smiling seriously, as if he knew this would happen. Kyou stayed up the roof, watching the stars.

Tohru was able to pass her special projects before summer vacation because of Yuki. Now, she was able to relax with her friends. She told them about her special projects and how Yuki helped him.

"You should have asked me to help you." Hana said bitterly. She wasn't angry, just disappointed because she wasn't able to help Tohru.

"I never asked him how he found out about my grades, though." Tohru wondered. 'Does he know me that well so see right through me?'

"I guess he just knows you well. You guys live under one roof after all." Uo replied. "I hope that you'll have a fun summer even if we're not here. Have fun okay?"

"Promise!" Tohru remarked.

Author's Notes: Okay. How is it? Do you think I should make a sequel or another chapter? Review okay?


	2. Something I'll Treasure Forever

Something I'll Treasure Forever

Torhu and Yuki decided to go to the airport to bid Hana and her family good-bye. Upon seeing the two together, Hana sensed some new waves – new WEIRD waves.

"Seeing you two together, it develops my desire to stay." Hana remarked. She looked at them slyly.

Tohru's sweat dropped. Yuki told Hana, "Don't worry." He even added, "I'll make sure that she won't fall under any harm, Hanagima."

Hana eyed at him. "Make sure of that." She walked away and then, looked back. "I'm going now. Bye Tohru." She waved at her friend. Then, she added, "Take care of her, Sohma."

Tohru smiled and waved back. "Take care, Hana!" Yuki waved as well.

When they saw that Hana entered the terminals, Yuki asked, "Where do you want to go next?"

"Why don't we go to the city? I'd love to see the sights." Tohru added, "Thank you for taking me here."

_Tohru was cleaning the dishes when Yuki came inside. "Thank you for the wonderful meal, Tohru. You're becoming a better cook everyday." Yuki remarked._

_Tohru blushed. "Thanks for the compliment."_

"_Uhm…" Yuki started to get nervous. "Are you busy tomorrow? Are you going somewhere in particular?"_

"_Actually, I was planning on going to the airport to say good-bye to Hana. She's going on a vacation abroad." Tohru asked, "Why?"_

_Yuki answered glumly, "I wanna ask you to go out with me tomorrow. But it seems like you're not available…"_

"_Why don't you come with me? Uo can't come because she's working. I don't have anyone else to accompany me." Tohru hurriedly answered. She wanted to ask someone to accompany her since she hadn't been inside the airport before. She was afraid to get lost._

"_Sure. I'd love to accompany you." Yuki added, "We can go to lunch after that. Would you want to do so?"_

"_I love to!" Tohru exclaimed. "I'm honored to be escorted by the prince." Yuki laughed. Tohru remarked, "I like it when you laugh." _

_Yuki smiled and answered, "I love it when you say things like that."_

_Tohru blushed. She made no reply but in her heart and soul, she wished that the moment would stay forever. Yuki wanted time to stop. He longed to be with her for a long time but a lot of things stopped him from being with her. Kyou, however, just looked at them, unnoticed. In his eyes, you could see fury. But when he saw her smile, he sighed and left the scene._

Yuki and Tohru waited for Hanagima's plane to leave the airport. When it did, they left and rode a cab back to the city. They walked for a while in the streets, window shopping and sight seeing.

They passed a famous clothing store. Tohru looked at the cute sleeveless blue sundress on display through the window. It had laces on the trim of the sleeves and the skirt. It had about six white buttons on the torso and a dark blue ribbon on the back.

"Why don't you try it on, Tohru?" Yuki added, "You'll look lovely in that dress." Tohru smiled and agreed.

When they went inside, Tohru frowned and said, "I can't… This store wouldn't allow that." Tohru pointed at the sign that said 'No Fitting Allowed.'

"I'll take care of that…" Yuki walked away before Tohru could reason out with him. She saw him talk to the sales lady. The lady kept smiling and nodding at him. The lady walked away from him and handed him the blue sundress. Yuki thanked the lady and walked back to Tohru. He said, "You could wear it now."

"Yuki, I can't… It's too much… You didn't have to…" Tohru thought of some more reasons but when Yuki said, "I want to", she simply nodded and went inside the dressing room. Yuki walked away for a moment to pay for her dress. A few more moments later, Tohru came out.

"You look amazing." Yuki complimented. Then, he looked at her shoes and at her head. 'It's inappropriate for what I have planned…' "Why don't you wear that outside? I already paid for it…."

Tohru was shocked and stammered, "You… you shouldn't…. I can't accept such gift… It's too expensive…"

"I don't mind at all." Yuki assured her, "I want you to look beautiful…"

Tohru blushed and said, "Thanks."

They went out the store after asking for a paper bag for the clothes that Tohru had on before they got there. They continued to walk around until they saw a shoe store. Yuki saw a pair of blue slippers that would go perfectly well with Tohru's new dress. Beside the bag, there was a cute hand bag with the same shade of blue as Tohru's dress.

"Tohru…" He said, "Wait a moment."

Tohru looked back and saw Yuki staring at a pair of slippers and a hand bag. She knew what was coming up next. "Please Yuki; don't spend that much on my account. I'm not that…."

Yuki smiled and held her face. He made her stare into his eyes. "You are special to me. I want you to look beautiful in everybody's eyes."

Tohru's heart instantly melted at the sight of his eyes. It was so… well… beautiful. "I can't decline, can I?"

Yuki shook his head. "Please?" Tohru grinned. She stepped inside the store, followed by Yuki.

Unexpectedly, Rin Sohma, one of Yuki's relatives and a Jyuunishi herself, was there, shopping for boots. When she saw the two came in, she stood up, surprised of the sight. She hasted toward them. "I don't believe it. You two… together… wow… Akito's gonna have a field day…" Rin grinned at them. "But still, you two look perfect together."

Tohru got a little tense. The mention of Akito Sohma made her feel scared for Yuki. He, as the Head of the Sohmas, might not agree to their relationship. She started to feel that Akito's going to separate both of them, just like Hatori and Kana, also Haru and Rin.

Yuki slipped his hand into Tohru's hand. He held it tight and said to Rin, "It is okay. He doesn't know."

"Illegal relationships can make things worse, Yuki." Rin told him. "I shall keep it silent. But I must really warn you that danger may come your way. Be strong."

A lady suddenly approached Rin and said, "It's all taken care of, Miss Rin."

"Thank you Makoto." Rin said and looked back at Yuki and Tohru. "Take care now. Bye." She left the store without looking back and promised herself that those two won't experience the same pain she and Haru did.

Yuki let go of Tohru's hand and asked the lady for the shoes and the bag. Tohru was silent during the whole process, still thinking of what Akito might do to Yuki. When the shoes and bag came, Tohru was still lost in her own thoughts. Yuki decided to end that with a kiss. He suddenly kissed her in the cheek. She instantly snapped back to reality. "Huh?"

"Don't think about Akito today." Yuki handed her the box. "Try these on. They'll look good with your new dress."

Tohru opened the box and saw the beautiful slippers. She tried it on and it was a perfect fit. Tohru grinned. "It fits, Yuki! It's so lovely."

Yuki told her, "Stand up and carry this." Yuki handed her the bag. She stood up. The clothes really did go perfectly with the shoes, as if it was made to be together. Yuki remarked, "You look beautiful. Wait for a moment." Yuki left her for a moment and went to the cashier.

Tohru sighed. She really didn't want to make Yuki buy things for her. But Yuki was insistent about it. 'Yuki's so sweet…' Tohru said to herself.

Yuki approached Tohru. He was carrying a bag. "Place your old shoes here." Tohru placed her shoes there and she held the hand bag. They went outside and continued to walk around.

By six in the evening, Yuki asked her, "Let's eat dinner. I planned the whole evening so you don't have to worry."

Tohru asked concerned, "What about Kyou and Shigure? I have to cook dinner for them."

"Don't worry." Yuki assured her, "Shigure will order something for the both of them."

Back at Shigure's house, Kyou rummaged inside the refrigerator. "Hmmm… Milk… eggs… what else… green vegetables…" He screamed, "SHIGURE! HOW COME TOHRU'S NOT COOKING YET?"

Shigure came inside the kitchen and said, "Kyon-Kyon, didn't I tell you that Tohru and Yuki went out?"

Kyou's expression changed. He didn't even hear Shigure say another cheesy name for him. All he heard was that Tohru and Yuki went out. "Is that so?"

Shigure nodded. "I'll order Chinese food." He went out and left Kyou in the kitchen. Kyou stared at the rice cooker for no apparent reason. He was lost in his thoughts. 'I'm a little late…'

Yuki and Tohru entered a fancy-looking place. Women wore semi-formal clothes. Men wore polos and neckties. (Yuki was wearing his Chinese-like clothes so it was okay.)

"The reservation for Yuki Sohma…" Yuki asked the receptionist. (Is that what they call those guys/girls who take care of the seats?)

"Right this way, sir…" A waiter led them to a table. "I'll be right back to take your order…." He handed them menus.

They opened their menus. Tohru was amazed with the food and the prices. She frowned a little since the prices were a little high. But then, she continued to smile. She didn't want Yuki to think that she was not enjoying his company. "So, what are you having?" She asked him.

"Well, I really love clams. I guess I'll get that." Yuki added, "What about you?"

"Hmmm… I haven't really decided yet…." She looked at the menu again. "I guess I'll have fried shrimp…."

Yuki looked at his menu. "The one fried in butter?"

Tohru nodded. "Mom loved shrimp."

"I see." He called for a waiter. "We'll have boiled clams, fried shrimp in butter and two cups of rice." Yuki added, "Oh and two glasses of iced tea."

"It'll be ready in the next ten to fifteen minutes, sir." The waiter left them.

"I really want to thank you for everything, Yuki." Tohru smiled at him. "I had so much fun."

Yuki replied, "I did too."

There was silence. They wanted to say something to each other but it was hard to do so. Tohru started to feel anxious of the situation. She didn't like the silence. She felt that silence meant that something was wrong. Yuki felt the same. He wanted the night to be perfect for the both of them. He didn't want her to feel that something was wrong.

They said in unison, "I…" Both halted before continuing their sentences.

Tohru said, "You go first, Yuki."

Yuki thought for something to say. "I… well…"

The food came just in time. The waiter placed the food in front of them and said, "Enjoy your meal." He bowed and left.

"Let's eat." Yuki carefully opened a clam with his silverware. Tohru did the same the shrimp. It was a very silent meal, just like back at Shigure's house.

Back at Shigure's house, Kyou was silently eating Chinese take-out. He was picking out his dumplings and Shigure couldn't see that. Shigure was happily eating his meal. "Ah, the old Chinese take-out… I miss this meal… It's been quite a while since I ate Chinese take-out…"

Kyou stared at the door. He hoped that she would come in sooner or later, so that he could keep his sanity. He wanted to see if he was really too late. If he doesn't, he'd go nuts.

"The meal was great." Tohru added, "Thanks for taking me here, Yuki."

"It's my pleasure." Yuki asked, "Where do you want to go next?"

Tohru answered, "I don't know…. How about you? Do you have any ideas?"

Yuki thought of it for a moment. Then, he had an idea. "How does a short stroll in the park sound?"

She remarked, "Lovely!"

Yuki paid for the food. He and Tohru left the restaurant and walked towards the park. Suddenly, they saw Haru and Momiji walking. They were carrying grocery bags.

"Yuki! Tohru!" Momiji said happily. He ran toward them.

Haru walked toward them since he carried more bags than Momiji. "So… what's up?"

Yuki answered, "Nothing really… Just walking along…"

"I see." Haru looked at Tohru from head to toe. "Are you sure you two aren't on a date or something?"

Tohru blushed. "Well… we are…"

"I knew it! I knew it!" Momiji chanted happily, "I knew you two are gonna get together! I knew you two are gonna get together!"

"I'm happy for both of you." Haru added, "You look so good together." Both of them blushed.

"Tohru," Momiji said, "I'll look forward to being your cousin-in-law!"

"Momiji! Don't say things like that!" Haru scolded him. But then, he added, "Eventually, I'll look forward to it too…"

Yuki answered in a calm, matured manner, "It's too early to say that."

Haru shrugged. "You never know." He looked at his timepiece. "We better get going… Have fun, you two. Momiji…"

Momiji nodded. "Bye, Tohru! Bye, Yuki!" Both Sohmas left.

Yuki sighed. "This has been a fun and adventurous day, wasn't it?"

"I know." Tohru added, "Let's go…"

The park was peaceful and serene that night. The moon was full. Fireflies were everywhere. Tohru and Yuki sat on a bench, staring at the sky.

Tohru remarked with delight, "It's so lovely…"

"Yes, you are." Yuki stared at her blue eyes. "You are lovely, as lovely as the stars."

Tohru smiled sheepishly. "Don't say that… I blush too hard…" Her cheeks turned light red.

"Tohru," Yuki took a deep breath and said, "I know we've been friends for a long time and I felt something special for you…. And all I want to say is that…" He whispered in her ear, "I love you…"

Tohru's eyes grew wide from amazement and surprise. Then, tears started to accumulate in her eyes. She can't hug him because he'll turn into a mouse. Instead she slowly kissed his lips. When their lips parted, she said, "You gave me something I'll treasure forever."

"Tohru…" Yuki smiled at her and held her cheek. "I love you…"

Tohru whispered, "I love you too…"

They kissed once more. It was a very romantic sight. Seeing them together was something. They were like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle; they fit together. Unfortunately, somebody doesn't want them to fit together…

**Author's Notes:**

Nice cliffie, huh? Sorry for the long, long, long update. I just finished my Cadet/Cadette Officer Candidate Course last April 29 and now, I'm an officer! Really! For those who don't believe me, let me clue you in:

You see this Cadet/Cadette Officer Candidate Course or COCC for short, is for the Citizen Advancement Training (CAT) in my school. As a candidate to be an officer, I have to undergo training. I did. That's the reason I wasn't able to update **ANY** of the stories that needs to be updated! I go home by 5:30PM and I end up sleeping. Why? I'm tired. I have to jog six laps around a cemetery with my fellow cadets and cadettes for Heaven's sake! If you still don't believe me, I'll show you my uniform and my sword!

Why did I say this? Well, let's just say someone over the net insulted me for being slow on updating my other fic. Well, I'm also posting the same paragraph on every fic I update in order to get it clear on why I don't update. **_WHEN I PROMISE TO UPDATE, I UPDATE AS FAST AS I CAN!_**

Enough of that…

I want to thank all of my reviewers, you know who you are and I hope that you liked Chapter 2: Something I'll Treasure Forever.

**Preview for Chapter 3: Always Here, No Matter What Happens**

"_I'm always here, no matter what happens. If anyone brings you grief or sadness or despair, I'll... give that person something he'll never forget."_

"_I… Thank you."_

**See you there. :D**


	3. Black Roses

Black Roses



After that kiss, it was clear to them that they were in-love with each other. They sat beside each other, holding each other's hand.

"There is only one type of happiness in life…" Tohru sighed. "It is to love and be loved." Her head rested on his shoulder. But she took precaution because Yuki might accidentally turn into a mouse.

"So it's okay with you if you're my girl and we have to make it official with your grandpa first." Yuki playfully added, "I want to ask him if it's alright to take his granddaughter away for good."

Tohru looked at him with wide eyes. "You're not marrying me yet. Let's just take it easy, okay? We'll tell Grandpa once we're ready. But most of all, we have to clear things up with Akito and the rest of the Sohmas."

Yuki frowned a little. He knew that Akito would do anything just to break both of them up. "Don't you think that we shouldn't tell Akito? We could tell the others, of course but not Akito."

Tohru held his cheek and made him look inside her eyes. "We shared a special moment a few moments ago. No one loves you like I do. And with that love, we can overcome anything."

"You're the one I can't live without, Tohru." Yuki replied, "I'd cheat with destiny just to be near you if you went away. I don't want Akito to hurt you and take you away from me."

Tohru went silent for a moment. But then, she smiled at Yuki. "Okay. Just promise me that you won't keep things concerning Akito and us, okay? I want to help you in every way."

Yuki nodded. He took her hand and clasped it with his hand. "The reason God put spaces between your fingers were so that I could fill them up. No one can change that, okay."

Tohru nodded. "Always you and me…"

Yuki inched forward and kissed her again. He wanted to wrap his arms around her but he knew that he would instantly change into a mouse if he did. But something unexpected happened. Tohru wrapped her arms around his neck. Miraculously, he didn't turn into a mouse.

Tohru noticed that and she stopped hugging and kissing him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hug you…" Then, she stared at Yuki. "Why didn't you turn into a mouse?"

Yuki replied, "When you hug me, I don't turn into a mouse. But if I hug you, I turn into a mouse." The logic seemed correct to both of them.

Tohru suddenly shivered. "It's getting cold. Why don't we go home now? Shigure might be worried."

Yuki laughed mentally. Shigure never worried. He still worried about things but not about them. He'd start worrying when Akito was concerned.



Shigure was writing his manuscript. (Big surprise…!) He was happily waiting for the return of the 'two lovebirds' as he described them. A few weeks ago, he decided to write a story about them. As of that moment, he was stuck. He can't write something fictional when the story was true. So he had to wait.

Kyou was up in the rooftop, waiting for their return. He watched the stars and muttered, "I know you don't love me so why am I even trying?"

Then, Kyou heard footsteps. He stood up and looked below. It was Yuki and Tohru, chattering and smiling. They were even walking hand-in-hand. When he saw that, he felt that he was torn into a million pieces, that his world finally ended, that he died. "I'm holding into a dream that won't come true…"

Shigure ran to the mud room and opened the doors for them. "Welcome back, lovebirds! Do you want a room?" Tohru blushed and for once, Yuki didn't beat the crap out of Shigure for making that naughty remark. He just blushed as well. Shigure continued, "Aww… You two should really get your own love nest. I might disturb both of you…"

"You better stop that, you stupid dog." Kyou was leaning on the wall. "Hey, you…" He pointed at Tohru. "Why didn't you at least make us a considerable dinner before going out on a date? I had to eat unbearable Chinese food a few hours ago. And it doesn't agree with my stomach…"

Tohru immediately stammered, "I'm sorry… It won't happen again… I promise…"

Yuki slapped Kyou on the face and warned, "Don't you dare point your fingers or yell at her, you stupid cat…" He grabbed his collar "… or you'll have to answer to me."

Tohru touched Yuki's shoulder and said, "Don't hurt him on my behalf. It's mainly my fault…" Yuki looked at her and let Kyou go.

Kyou smirked. "Suddenly, you're controlled by her, huh?" He didn't get his expected remark because Yuki walked away, holding Tohru's hand. They were smiling at each other, as if the brawl never happened. He decided to retire for the night and to rest.



The next morning, Tohru woke up early and decided to cook a special breakfast for Yuki and the others. She made some pancakes and fried some bacon and eggs. Yuki appeared in front of the kitchen door. He still looked asleep but he rose due to the succulent smell of the delicious food. "Your cooking woke me up…"

Tohru grinned at him as she placed two heart-shaped pancakes on a plate and handed it over to Yuki. "I made that one especially for you."

"Thanks, hon…" Yuki kissed her on the cheek.

"My! My! My! Isn't it a little too early to be lovey-dovey?" Shigure snickered. Then, he asked, "Did you make heart-shaped pancakes for me, Tohru?"

Tohru handed him a plate of round-shaped pancakes. "I'm sorry. I only made those for my love."

"What did you make for me, then?" Kyou entered the kitchen, angry as usual.

"I made you some bacon and eggs." Tohru added, "I wasn't sure if you like pancakes…" Tohru showed him a plate of bacon and eggs. The eggs were sunny side up and the bacons were just right.

"Tohru, you didn't have to make a special breakfast for him." Shigure said, "He eats anything."

Kyou looked at the plate and said, "I don't want to eat with anyone of you…" He turned around and walked away.

'Kyou…' Tohru thought, 'I wonder what's wrong…'

Seeing Tohru's frown, Shigure assured her, "He'll be okay… He's always like that… He'll come around."

Yuki told everyone else, "Let's eat…"



Tohru did the spring cleaning inside the house. Yuki helped Tohru while Shigure left and passed a manuscript to his publisher. Of course, that thought surprised Tohru and Yuki. They thought he was sick or something.

Shigure reasoned, "I'm just turning over a new leaf, that's all." Inside Shigure's real reason was, 'It's because I wanted to leave you two alone…'

Tohru started to clean the rooms first. She took out the futons to air them out. Yuki took out the books and aired them out as well. They looked like husband and wife, cleaning out their house to Kyou.

Kyou was watching over them. He was seated on a branch on a large tree beside the house. "Just to see you smile like that hurts me even more because you're with him." It really does hurt him deeply. Then, he decided to go away for a while. He went to Kazuma's place.

Kazuma's dojo wasn't that far. When Kyou got there, Kazuma was sweeping some dust. Kyou ran toward Kazuma and hugged him. That was when he started to cry. "Why? She was the only one for me. Why can't she see that I love her more than anything in this world? I gave her my heart and she doesn't even know that she has it…" He continued to sob.

Kazuma's face softened. He patted Kyou's head. "Sometimes the person you love just doesn't understand how much you love them, Kyou."

"I wish that falling out of love is easy as falling in it." Kyou sobbed a little softer. "Shishou, you know that I'd give my live for her."

"You love her that much? Let's go inside and talk about it more." Kazuma let him go and led him inside. They sat on the cushions and Kyou related his story to Kazuma.

Kyou ended his narration with questions. "How many times can a heart be broken before it needs repair? How many times can a heart be fixed before it isn't there? How many times can one be dumped before it doesn't hurt? What did I do to deserve this pain and tis feeling of sadness I have in my heart?" He calmed down a bit. He was now talking straight; he doesn't choke after all that crying.

Kazuma placed his hand on Kyou's arm. "This is unlike you, Kyou, but I can give you one great piece of advice." He stood up and got something from his cabinet. It was a black rose. "See this rose?" Kyou nodded. "You see, I once loved someone but the problem is that she doesn't love me. You know what I did? I gave her a black rose, secretly. Through that, I was able to let go of my love slowly." Kazuma handed him the rose.

Kyou took the black rose. He inspected it. It was still fresh. "So who was your girl?"

"Rin Sohma…"

"Oh…" That was Kyou's only remark. He was surprised that someone like Kazuma would fall for Rin Sohma.

"I have a batch of black roses in the back." Kazuma added, "You can have them."

"Thanks, Shishou." Kyou said, "Thanks for being there for me…."



Tohru and Yuki made the house squeaky clean. Through their teamwork, they finished cleaning the house in one day.

Tohru made tea for both of them. "Here's your cup of tea."

"Thanks, Tohru." Yuki answered her. He sipped some tea and just watched the wind blew by with the girl he loved.



Kyou went back to Shigure's place. Kyou got one of Kazuma's black roses in hand. He saw Tohru and Yuki together, drinking tea in the living room. He snuck in but Yuki sensed him.

"What are you up to, sneaking around like that?" Yuki suddenly asked him.

Because of Yuki's question, Tohru looked behind them. "Hi, Kyou!" She smiled at him.

Kyou hid the rose behind his back. "Hi. I got to… uhm… go to my room now." He quickly ran up the stairs.

"He's really something." Tohru sighed. "I wish I could understand him though."

"No one understands him, except for Kazuma-sensei and Kagura." Yuki added, "He's not a bad guy; he's just misunderstood." He looked into the horizon.

The wind suddenly blew by and Tohru's braids swayed with the wind. She sighed once more. 'I just wish I could understand Kyou.'



Kyou silently entered Tohru's room. It was clean. Everything was sparkling. "Whoa. That girl is really clean." Then, he smirked, "After all, girls are like that, especially her."

He approached her desk. There were books on one side and a pen holder on the other. There was a piece of paper on her desk. He placed the rose on her desk and scribbled a few words on the paper, using the pen on the pen holder. A few seconds later, he placed the pen back on the pen holder and left the room.



Shigure came back with food that night. This time, it was Italian food. He said, "I got this for free from Mayu…"

_Shigure entered the publishing house. It was the first time he had been there. Everybody stared at him as he made his way towards the publisher's office._

"_I promise you that I'd get his manuscript soon." A voice from the publisher's office said, "He needs a little more time."_

_There was another voice inside that room. "We gave him enough time in the past. Can't he pass a decent manuscript in time?"_

_  
Shigure just came in and said, "I have the next manuscript here." He showed them a very thick brown envelope. _

_Mayu's eyes were welling up with tears. "Shigure… Finally, God has answered my prayers." She knelt down and thanked God._

_The other person in the room asked, "You are Shigure Sohma, I presume."  
_

_Shigure nodded. "I just came by to pass my latest manuscript. I don't want to disappoint Mayu." He smiled at Mayu. "Well, I got to go now. Bye." He left the room but then, he stopped. "Please send the check to my house. Thanks." He went outside._

Mayu went out of the room and called, "Shigure, wait!" Shigure stopped and looked at her. "I want to treat you to dinner tonight."

_  
"You didn't have to do so." Shigure smiled at her. "Maybe you could just treat me into an Italian take-out. I'm bringing something for my relatives."_

_Mayu nodded. "Italian, it is."_

_They ordered pasta, fettuccine, and garlic bread at an Italian restaurant in the city. By the time Shigure got back to his house, it was already night._

"That's the reason why I got home tonight with Italian." Shigure added, "You don't have to cook tonight, Tohru." He showed them the boxes again

Yuki asked Shigure, "Where's Mayu? Doesn't she want to join us?"

"I invited her over but she said she had something to take care of." Shigure looked at Tohru, "Why don't you prepare dinner, Tohru. I need to talk to Yuki, alone."

Tohru nodded and took the boxes of food from Shigure. "Okay." She left the room and went inside the kitchen.

"What is it that you want me to talk about?" Yuki asked Shigure.

Shigure answered, "I want to talk to you about Tohru. I know you love her…" Then, he slipped himself nearer Yuki. He had that sly look on his eyes. "I want to know if you did anything today except for cleaning, of course."

Yuki knew what the heck Shigure was talking about. He gave Shigure a punch on the face. "Don't talk about Tohru and me like that, you pervert." Shigure moved a little. Yuki didn't give him a very hard punch.

Tohru came back with plates of pasta and the garlic bread. "Dinner's here!" She glanced around and saw that Kyou wasn't there yet. "I'll go and get Kyou, okay?" She placed the plates on the table and left the room.

She went upstairs and passed by her room. The door was open. "Why is my room's door open?" She went inside and saw a black rose. She picked it up. "A black rose…" Then, she saw the letter.

_To my darling,_

_I give you a black rose as a symbol of my dying love. I don't want to hold on something I can't reach because it's starting to kill me. _

_I just want to tell you that no matter what happens; I'll be always there for you. _

_Always…_

She looked at her door and whispered, "Kyou…"



**Author's Notes:**

Hi! Thanks to the reviewers, you know who you are.

This is Chapter 3: Black Roses

I changed the title from the last preview. Black Roses sound so much better.

You might ask me why Tohru thought that Kyou was the one who wrote the letter. Well, the answer is that Kyou is the only one who could have possibly done it. She's not that smart but she can pick up the idea.

If any of you likes to read Chobits, Card Captor Sakura, Naruto, Shaman King, and/or Harry Potter, I have other fics. I would love to see a review from you in my other fics.

_**Preview for Chapter 4: True Sadness**_

"_Kyou… I saw the letter and the rose…"_

"_You saw it…"_


	4. Bruises of My Heart

Bruises on My Heart



Tohru placed the black rose and the letter inside her drawer. She went out of the room and slowly went to the roof through the ladder outside the house. She climbed out and found Kyou.

"Kyou," Tohru said, "Dinner's ready." She tried to sound cheerful enough.

Kyou looked at her. "I'm not eating." He continued to observe the sky and ignored Tohru.

Tohru waited for another statement but then, she retreated and sighed, "Just call me if you need something." She slowly descended from the ladder.

Kyou muttered, "Yeah, I need something. I need you…" The stars were twinkling as he sighed and continued to watch the night sky.



Inside the house, Shigure and Yuki sat around the dining table, waiting for Tohru. Tohru went inside and walked into the dining room. She sat down and apologized, "Sorry for being late. I went up to get Kyou but he said he wasn't hungry."

"You didn't have to do so, hon…" Yuki added, "He can take care of himself."

"Oh la la la! Yuki's calling Tohru hon." Shigure added, "It is short for honey. Aww that is so sweet!" Tohru's cheek turned bright red. There was a tint of red in Yuki's cheeks. "You guys must be boyfriend and girlfriend now, huh?" Shigure joked. No one said a word then his eyes grew wide. "Then it is true! You guys are a couple now." Then, he added, "But calling her 'hon' is so… so common nowadays. Find a sugary and unique nickname, would you?"

Yuki just nodded. Mentally, he kicked himself because for once, Shigure was right. And he felt wrong about calling her like that. 'Maybe we should discuss that on a later date.' Yuki said to himself.

Tohru ate silently. She was still worried about Kyou and the words from the letter kept playing inside her head. 'But it's too late… and I'm in love with Yuki… I'm so sorry, Kyou.' She thought as she ate one piece of garlic bread.

Yuki eyed at Tohru. She was unusually silent that night. He had to know what was wrong, even if it killed him.



When Tohru finished eating, she excused herself and took a bath. Even while relaxing in the tub, she kept thinking of the black rose and Kyou. She dressed herself inside the bathroom and quickly went to the kitchen to get some of the rice balls she made a few days ago. She quickly climbed up the ladder, hoping that he was still there.

In fact, he was still there. Kyou loved staying there. He loved watching the stars. He loved the night's breeze. Most of all, he loved the solitude and the memories he had with her in that place.

Kyou heard someone climbing up the ladder and looked at the person climbing the ladder. A brown haired girl's head popped up. "Hi, Kyou, I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some rice balls…" She handed Kyou the plate. Kyou took it with one hand and helped Tohru get up with the other.

Once Tohru was nicely seated beside Kyou, he asked her, "What brings you here?"

"Nothing really..." Tohru added, "I just like it here since we have some fond memories here." Tohru sighed.

"Why such a sad sigh?" Kyou asked her as he munched on the rice balls that she brought. "It's not like you…"

"The black rose…" Tohru was looking down. "You left it on my desk today. I saw it the letter you wrote." Kyou looked at her. He saw some tears drop from her eyes. "Kyou," she continued, "I'm sorry that I was too blind to see what you felt for me." She buried her face in her hands. "Even if I did, I don't know how to return it… I'm so sorry…" She sobbed.

Kyou touched her hand and removed it from her face. He wiped a tear away from her face. "Tohru, I'm sorry. It's just that seeing you two together hurt me; but I'm ready to let go of my feelings." He wiped another tear. "All I want is to see you smiling even if it's with him."

"Kyou… I'm really sorry coz I can't…" Tohru calmed down a bit and looked into his eyes. "But I promise you that I'm always there for you when you need a friend. I promise you that!"

"Tohru…" Then, Kyou gave her a smile. He nodded. "Let's watch the sky together," He offered her. She nodded and they both lay down on the roof, facing the sky. 'If you could just love me, I know I'd be ok but that would make me too selfish… Besides, I can't keep something I don't really have…'



Unknown to the two people on the roof, someone was listening the whole time. "So that's why she's glum during dinner…"

Shigure came out from the shadows. He asked seriously, "What do you intend to do now, Yuki?"

"Let them be." Yuki started to walk away and went inside the doorway when Shigure asked him, "Why?"

"I'm just doing the stupid cat a favor." Yuki closed the sliding door.

Shigure just watched the two shadows on the roof point at different stars in the sky. "Love is such a complicated subject." Then, he took some paper and a pen and wrote down something.



It was already twelve midnight. The wind brought chills to Tohru. She stood up and said, "Kyou, we better go inside now. It's getting chillier."

Kyou eyed her. She was only dressed with her PJs and her jacket. Of course, he knew that she was wearing undergarments but he guessed that all those weren't enough to keep her warm and to keep her beside him. He shrugged and said, "You go. I'll stay here a little more."

"Are you sure?" Tohru inquired. She saw that Kyou wore sweatpants and a sweater but she wanted to be sure. She didn't want him to get sick.

Kyou nodded and said, "Go… Yuki must be worried about you…"

Tohru frowned a little. She didn't want Yuki to worry about her so she turned and climbed down the ladder. Kyou watched her head disappear from sight.

"Letting her go just like that must've hurt, huh?" Kyou turned around and saw Shigure sitting beside him.

Kyou calmly answered, "Yeah… But I know I'll get over it." He stared at the stars again.

"Bruises of the heart aren't easily cured." Shigure sighed and climbed down the ladder.



Tohru entered the hallway and saw Yuki standing by the doorway. "Tohru, I…"

Tohru looked at Yuki. She looked worried. "Why are you still awake?" She held his face and looked into his purple eyes.

Yuki looked away and removed her hands from his face. "I heard…"

"You heard that conversation with Kyou," Tohru added, "We're just friends. We can never me more than that…" She made him look at her again. "…because I love you."

The purple irises of Yuki's eyes moved from left to right and vice versa, as if it was scanning Tohru's face. His eyes were filled with uncertainness and sadness. "Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't leave me?"

"I promise," Tohru wrapped his arms around Yuki's body and snuggled in his chest.



That same night, at the Sohma Main House, Akito was wandering around the place. He peeped through windows to see how the other Jyunishi were doing. He saw Hatori alone in his office. Momiji, Kisa, and Hiro were together, playing cards inside Momiji's house.

Much to his dislike, there was nothing interesting going on around the house. He lastly went to Rin Sohma's place. There, he peeped though the open window to reveal a sight.

Rin's head was on Haru's shoulder. It seemed that they were having a lovey-dovey moment so Akito watched them closely.

"You saw them, didn't you Rin?" Akito heard Haru said.

Rin sighed. "They look so good together."

Haru instantly asked her, "Just like us?"

Rin looked at him. She smiled at him sweetly and continued to rest her head on her shoulder. "Yes. I just hope Akito won't do something to Tohru. She loves Yuki; I can see it in her eyes."

"Same with Yuki," Haru added, "I can see that he loves her too…"

"I hope that they'll be fine…" Rin said. Then, she just closed her eyes and slept on Haru's shoulder.

Akito was grinning. 'This is going to be great… I can play now…' He ran off back to his room and closed the door.



_**Author's Notes:**_

A ton of things are going on with my life and most of my brain cells are pretty dead. (jowk.) Anyway, this is Chapter 4 for the story Always There. Short, I know. I'm sorry. I'll try to make it longer.

Thanks to for reviewing:

Chapter 3:

MElizabethT

Mad4Anime

Chapter 2:

MElizabethT

midnight 1987

Chapter 1:

MElizabethT

Yurikufan06

D-nica.xox

Storyteller May

Thank you so much. I really appreciate those reviews.

I'm sorry to say that I don't have a preview for Chapter 5. Why? It could be the last chapter. :sniff: It's almost over.

_**Standard Disclaimer Apply**_


	5. Always There

Always There



Two months had passed since Yuki and Tohru had been a couple. It was school time again. Tohru asked Yuki to come with her so that they could tell Hana and Uo about their relationship together on their first day of school.

"WHAT!" Uo exclaimed, "YOU GUYS ARE TOGETHER-TOGETHER?"

Hana looked at Yuki. "I told you to take care of her. I didn't tell you to be his boyfriend."

Yuki's sweat dropped. Tohru answered, "I hope you're okay with this arrangement…"

Uo suddenly grabbed Tohru and hugged her tight. "Whatever makes you happy makes me happy. If this guy is going to make you happy, it's fine with me, Tohru."

"If this guy's going to hurt you one way or the other, he's gonna die." Hana stared at Yuki.

Tohru broke from Uo's embrace and smiled. "Thank you so much."

Uo asked, "What happened to Kyou? I thought at first that you two would end up together or something."

"I think I heard my name from you, Yankee," Kyou asked, "Are you badmouthing me again?"

Uo looked back and saw Kyou behind her. She grabbed Kyou's collar and said, "You wanna fight?"

Kyou smirked, "We better not. We're graduating, remember? You don't want a dent on your records, right?"

Uo let him go. Kyou had a point. They were graduating. Uo just looked away and joined the conversation the other three people were having.

Kyou joined in too. He acted normal for the past month. He did it for Tohru. Bit by bit, he let his love for her go. He was starting to feel nothing for her as the days passed by.



Akito called for Shigure and Hatori. Shigure immediately obeyed and went into the main house. He slowly entered Akito's room. When he entered, he saw that Hatori was already there. After a few moments, Shigure got settled. He and Hatori were waiting for Akito to say something to them.

Akito had longer hair than usual. It was about two inches longer than before. He wasn't wearing his usual kimono. He was wearing a black uniform, just like the one Yuki and Kyou were wearing. A black bag pack was on his back.

"Shigure, Hatori," Akito looked at him. "Take me to Yuki's school. This is an order."

Shigure and Hatori were taken aback. They felt that Akito was up to something. But they couldn't do anything; they could not disobey Akito. Hatori nodded and they left to go to school.



It was noon in their school. They were all having lunch outside, like they used to. Yuki and Tohru were lovey-dovey in front of their friends. Momiji just sighed at the sight of the couple. Uo and Hana watched them intently as they ate. It was just a sign that they weren't still used to the idea. Kyou and Haru were quiet as well, watching them.

"Say aaa." Tohru was feeding Yuki with a riceball she made. Yuki took a small bite and smiled.

Momiji remarked, "Tohru! Tohru! Feed me too!"

Tohru nodded. She said, "Say aaa!" She fed him a rice ball too. Momiji took a big bite and joyfully swayed his body.

This was the life everybody wanted until someone came and said, "Hello, Sohmas." The Sohmas looked and their faces were filled with shock. "Missed me?"

Yuki pushed Tohru aside. "What do you want, Akito?"

Akito moved forward and pushed Yuki aside as his hand moved and revealed a gun. Hana and Uo tried to stop him but he just pushed both of them away, causing them to lose conscience. Akito aimed for Tohru. The Sohmas wanted to stop him but he pointed the gun at them. When his aim was at Tohru again, he pulled the trigger of the gun. The bullet was zooming toward Tohru but the bullet didn't hit her.

After Kyou saw the gun, he knew what was going to happen. As the Cat of the Jyunishi, he had great reflexes. When the bullet came out, he immediately hugged Tohru. His body served as a shield for Tohru so the bullet hit his back.

Tohru was shocked. "KYOU!" She supported him by hugging him back. Blood came out of the wound. Drops of red liquid were visible on Tohru's hand and arm. "Please hang on, Kyou." His grip on Tohru was getting weak.

He stammered in his last remaining breath and strength, "Tohru, remember that I'm always there when you need me and I will never ever leave you…" He inched forward and gave her a very quick kiss and whispered weakly, "…because I love you." After that last sentence, he smiled and closed his eyes.

Tears streamed down from Tohru's eyes but pain showed her face when Akito suddenly pulled her up. No one was able to stop Akito because he had a gun in his hand. Yuki tried to pull the gun out of his hand and he was able to do so because Akito himself let it go. The others grabbed the other hand from his other pocket because there might be something else but they weren't successful.

Akito said to Tohru, "You made me kill one of my pets, bitch. It's payback time." Akito removed his hand and opened a bottle of acid and poured it on Tohru's face.

Tohru screamed from the pain. She felt that her face was burning and some sort of vapor came from her face. She covered her face with her hands.

Hana and Uo finally regained consciousness and saw Tohru. They immediately hugged their friend, trying to protect her with their bodies. Tohru was still screaming and then, she fainted. Her hands went down and her friends saw her face. It was disfigured. They couldn't recognize if it was Tohru at all.

Meanwhile, the Sohmas wanted to kill Akito now. But Akito did it by himself. Akito said, "Now I can finally burn in hell!" He pointed the gun into his head and pulled the trigger. From that time, Akito was dead.



The whole commotion caused a lot of chaos for the Sohmas. They had to reveal their old secret to Hana and Uo. They had to erase each and every memory of the students who had witnessed and heard the whole commotion.

The other Jyunishi found about Tohru's disfigured face. Hatori gave them a full report after Tohru finally rested the night after the commotion. Yuki left her for a moment to find out what damage Akito made.

Hatori saw the other eleven Jyunishi inside one room. He coughed and all of the attention was drawn to him. "I'm here to report about Tohru's injuries." Everybody looked at him.

He started once again. "Tohru Honda's face was destroyed by acid. Akito poured it right on her face causing her to be blind as well. She can't open her eyes. You can hear muffled sounds instead of words coming from her when she is trying to speak. But, the good news is that she can breathe well. I covered her face and eyes with bandages since the skin was burned and the muscles might get infected."

Sad expressions were seen on their faces. Yuki was the saddest of them all. After the incident, he could not stop from blaming himself for Tohru's injuries.

"You know," Haru said, "I bumped into a girl and I didn't turn into a cow. Is the spell broken for good?"

Hatori and the others looked at him. Yuki knew that after he and Tohru kissed the second time, nothing happened when she hugged him. And after that night, when Tohru and Kyou had a talk, she snuggled in his chest and nothing happened.

"I guess you're right," Rin added, "Because of Akito's and Kyou's death, maybe just maybe, the spell sorta broke."

Kisa brought the main subject by asking, "Is there any other way for Onee-san to regain her old face and sight?"

Hatori nodded. "Yes. She can undergo a plastic surgery and maybe we can find someone to donate eyes to replace the old ones." Kagura raised her hand. Hatori asked, "What is it?"

Kagura said, "I know someone who can donate eyes."

Momiji asked, "Who?"

They talked about their plans on getting eyes for Tohru. Yuki listened but he hesitated. He won't be able to see Tohru's aquamarine eyes anymore.

After their meeting, they separated and went to their own homes. Yuki stayed with Tohru inside Hatori's clinic. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "I'm really sorry, Tohru."



The other Jyunishi were also devastated about Kyou's death. Kyou was a part of them, especially for Kagura.

Kagura stayed inside a ballroom where two coffins could be found. One was a black coffin with silver linings and borders. The other was an orange coffin. It was the usual coffin for the Cat.

Kagura opened the top and she could see his peaceful face. He was even smiling. Tears started to drop from her eyes. "Kyou…" She continued to cry until she knelt down in front of his coffin and cried over it. The glass that covered his upper torso was smudged with drops of water from Kagura's eyes.



Tohru knew about her condition when she woke up the next day. She was panicking when she couldn't open her eyes. Yuki calmed her down and explained everything.

A muffled noise came from her. It sounded like, "Is Kyou okay?"

Yuki answered, "His body is in the ballroom with Akito's body."

Tohru wanted to cry but her eyes were covered with bandages. She was silent for a while but then, she asked Yuki, "Can I go and say a proper good-bye for him?"

Yuki hugged her and said, "Yes, Tohru you can. But let's go at the burial. We need to give the others some time to finally accept that he died because of Akito and not because of you."

"I understand." Tohru added, "I need to rest now, Yuki."

Yuki helped her lie down and kissed her again. "I'll never leave you. I promise you that."

When Tohru heard that, she remembered Kyou's last words. She wanted to cry more. She wanted to be… there with him, dead. She wanted to die because she caused so much havoc in the Sohmas' lives.

When Tohru finally fell into sleep, she dreamt of her mother and Kyou in a white room, standing side-by-side. She could see in her dreams and ran towards them. She cried in her mother's arms.

"Mother… I…. I…" Tohru continued to cry.

"Shh..." Kyoko said to her child. "It's okay now."

Tohru let go of her mother and hugged Kyou as well. "I'm really sorry, Kyou. I'm really sorry. I was the one who should be dead by now. I'm so…"

Kyou kissed her forehead. "It's okay. At least, you and Yuki will be happy with no worries whatsoever."

Tohru argued, "I can't live thinking that someone sacrificed himself for my happiness. I wish you didn't…"

Kyou answered, "If I did, Yuki would die. Do you want that to happen? You love him, right?" Tohru nodded. Kyou continued, "Always remember what I said, I'm always there for you and I'll never leave you – even if Yuki's there. A part of me will always be with you, always."

Images started to fade. Tohru said, "Wait!" But it was too late. The images were gone and everything went black.



On the day of the burial, Yuki became Tohru's escort. He guided her as they walked and ate. The other Sohmas sympathized with her condition. Yuki gave someone death glares when he heard that person say something bad about Tohru.

Tohru wore a veil over her face. The bandages still covered her face and to the younger children, she looked like a mummy.

Yuki asked them to let Tohru say a proper goodbye to Kyou before they lower him down. He guided Tohru towards the coffin and left her there.

Tohru traced the outline of the coffin and said, "Kyou, thank you… I can't cry right now because my eyes are ruined… I want to but I can't…. Thank you for loving me…"

Yuki approached her and guided her into the crowd. He held her hand tight and vowed into Kyou's grave that he will protect Tohru as much as Kyou did.



The End

**Author's Notes:**

Well, this is the last chapter for Always There. I'm sorry it ended so sadly. I felt that I just have to kill someone in the end. (On my first FB fanfic, I killed Kagura. Here I killed Kyou.)

Oh yeah, you must have noticed that I left some holes in the plot. If you didn't, please read it again. Hehehe. If I told you, it would spoil the sequel. Yes, my friends, there is a sequel but it's only a one-shot. I decided to give it the title:

"**I'll Never Leave You"**

You must have some ideas on what the sequel's about, tell me and I'll tell you if it's correct. If not, well, you have to wait and see.

I want to thank the following for reading and supporting my story with reviews:

1. MElizabethT

2. LoveYukiAndTohru

These people gave me reviews on every chapter. I hope to see a review from you guys on 'I'll Never Leave You'. I'll be posting it soon. :D

_**Standard Disclaimer Apply**_


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